Football Tips: 3 for glee as Chelsea set fragile West Ham in their sights on Wednesday

This is the first of three London derbies in a row for Chelsea as they look to continue their strong return since the break and cement their place in the top 4.

They have been in fine fettle since play resumed, winning all of their matches, including the memorable (for Liverpool fans, at least) victory over Man City last week.

Frank Lampard’s men have been impressive in quietly going about their business and there seems to be something strong growing for next season, with them having already agreed to bring in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech during the summer.

They will be solid alternatives to Liverpool and Man City next season.

Christian Pulisic to score first

Frank Lampard, through part enforcement and part style, has not had any problems in letting some very young members of the team show their wares on the big stage. Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Billy Gilmour have all been given opportunities to shine in recent weeks and Pulisic in particular has really grabbed the bull by the horns, scoring 2 goals in his last 3.

I really think Chelsea have a future superstar on their hands here. His pace and trickery will really cause the West Ham defence all sorts of problems and I am putting him up to score first against West Ham.

Chelsea -1 handicap

West Ham have been nothing short of useless since the return and are in serious danger of being relegated this season. There will be no love lost between West Ham and their (very) former fan favourite Frank Lampard who would be more than happy to send the Hammers packing down to the Championship.

A mixture of Fabián Balbuena, Issa Diop and Declan Rice filling in at centre half doesn’t do much for their hopes of holding Chelsea back this week. Having conceded two goals in both games I fear more of the same for David Moyes’ men and see Chelsea -1 as a comfortable win.

Chelsea to score a penalty

With all the young guns’ pace and raft of talent vying for a starting berth next season at Chelsea, this game really feels like it will be one-way traffic from the off, with Willian, Pulisic and possibly Tammy Abraham all setting their sights on the West Ham goal, I also like the price of Chelsea to score a penalty.

West Ham are now in survival mode but I don’t think this is where they start their escape from the drop. Expect Chelsea to heap more misery on their London rivals.

Tips for West Ham v Chelsea

Christian Pulisic to score first
Chelsea -1
Chelsea to score a penalty

More Tips: 

• Wednesday’s 11/1 Euro footy acca
• 3 best bets for Arsenal v Norwich
• Our top tips for Bournemouth v Newcastle & Everton v Leicester on Wednesday

The Paddy Power Guide To Responsible Gambling – Everything You Need To Know